G. Though we forget, take it for granted and perhaps treat the day lightly, the sacrifices of the men and women who have fallen have purchased…provided us with many things. Let me point out only three of those things.

Liberty

O beautiful for glory-tale

Of liberating strife

When once and twice,

for man’s avail

Men lavished precious life!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till selfish gain no longer stain

The banner of the free!

A. Of the many things the deaths of our soldiers provide for us, liberty is by far one of the greatest. In this country we enjoy many freedoms: to protect, to speak, vote, etc…

B. What are some other liberties you cherish?

C. Those freedoms don’t come freely, but at a great cost. Of course there are those who die without thought of a free America, but many did. They knew exactly why they died – to give us the greatest country on earth.

B. Every night I go to bed in the safety of my own home while wars are fought on foreign soil. My autos will not be blown up, I’m not going to face bombers on the way to work, no missiles flying overhead, no chaos in the streets.

C. Our nation has lost its stomach for war – but let that war rage on the streets of this nation, in our neighborhoods, on this home front…let the bombing and shooting and kidnapping and beheading take place in this land and we’ll be reminded of the safety and security we enjoy.

Peace

A. With liberty and security come great peace.

B. In fact, we are a nation so at peace we are oblivious to the terror and turmoil most people in the world face on a daily basis.

C. Michael and I were reminded of this in Teabo – only an hour from the squalor we experienced Americans were lapping up luxury.

D. When you tuck your kids in at night, you can thank a soldier that they can sleep all night in peace. When you relax on your front porch with a fresh cup of coffee, thank a soldier you don’t have to worry about friendly fire.

E. It is because they have given their lives we enjoy the peaceful lives we do, lives no one else on earth has like we do in America.

Conclusion

A. There are many other things we enjoy at the expense of the lives of our soldiers, so today we want to honor their courage, their valor, their sacrifice by simply saying “Thank You” for what they have given to us.

B. In doing so it behooves me to remind you of He who made the ultimate sacrifice on the Old Rugged Cross to purchase these same things for us.